Truth of Instinct
by HaloOfStars
Summary: Goku, unable to drop out of mastered Ultra Instinct after the Tournament of Power, is advised by Whis to travel back in time to when Planet Vegeta still existed, to find out what being a Saiyan truly implies.
1. Denial

Chapter One: Denial

A white haired, silver eyed Goku watched Jiren fall from the Tournament of Power fighting stage (or what was left of it), hearing Beerus call out, "We won!" A zip sound could be heard as Jiren's beaten form materialised on the spectator's bench. Goku was almost afraid to believe it, that their universe was saved. Slowly, he let a tentative grin slip on to his face, then a full blown grin.

"WE DID IT!" He shouted in glee, jumping up from his stance and fist-pumping the air.

"Jiren of Universe 11 has dropped off the fighting stage." The Grand Priest's chime-like voice drifted across the stage. "All of Universe 11's fighters have been eliminated. Universe 7, I am pleased to announce that your fighters Son Goku and Frieza are the last standing. Congratulations."

"Congrats!" His sentiment was echoed by the twin Lord Zenoes. With their shout, they raised opposite fists. Their fists started to glow with white energy, as did Universe 11's members. With a soft hum, Universe 11 phased out of existence, though not without their god of Destruction, Belmod, letting out an indignant, cut off screech.

"I don't believe it," Krillin breathed, "It's really over."

The Grand Priest spoke again. "With the closing of the tournament, Son Goku, the lone victor, will be the one to receive the wish from the Super Dragon Balls." He raised a hand. "I shall now transmit us to the place they are being stored." He waved his hand, and Goku felt a tingling similar to when he did Instant Transmission. The air around him shimmered black for a second, before he rematerialized in the middle of a grassy field. The sky was a soft lilac color, and floating high up in the distance were the Super Dragon Balls.

"Oh, hey, its like the Supreme Kai's world." Goku noticed. All around him were Angels, his team, Beerus, and Zeno's throne and guards. One of Zeno, the one he was originally friends with, floated over. Goku knelt down to meet his eyes.

"Congrats on winning, friend!" Zeno said. "Like the Grand Priest said, you get to wish on the Dragon Balls of the gods. Think it over carefully, cause you only get one!"

Goku grinned at him. "Actually, Zen-chan, if you don't mind, I'd like to give my wish to Vegeta."

Vegeta looked up in shock. "Kakarot, are you serious? You'd really do that for me?"

"Yeah, Vegeta. I don't really have a wish I want granted, and I know you want to see planet Sadala."

Zeno smiled. "If that's what you'd like." Flying up to the Dragon Balls, Zeno spoke in the language of the gods.

" _ **Come forth, Dragon of the Gods, and grant my wish, pretty peas!"**_

With a rumbling boom and flash of light, a great writhing mass of golden light erupted from the Super Dragon Balls, snaking through the sky and taking up Goku's entire range of vision before solidifying into an absolutely colossal golden dragon. Of course, because he was planet-side, Super Shenron was actually rather small compared to his actual size.

While this was happening, Krillin walked over to Goku, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Hey, Goku, have a Sensu bean," he said, holding out the small, green bean. "You look like you need it." It was true, Goku was covered in a cloak of black bruises, scrapes, and even a few broken fingers. His nose was broken and he was pretty sure he was missing a tooth.

"Heh, thanks, Krillin." Goku took the bean, placing it in his mouth and chewing it up. He almost instantly felt reinvigorated, his skin returning to it's (now slightly scarred) peach tone. He even felt his missing tooth regrow. He sighed, relaxing a bit.

"Oh, look, Vegeta's making his wish." Krillin looked up at Vegeta and Lord Zeno. "That was really nice of you, to give up your wish like that."

In the language incomprehensible to mortals, Zeno restated Vegeta's wish. The giant dragon paused for a moment, his eyes glowing a deep red.

" _ **Your wish has been granted. Farewell."**_

And with that, the dragon glowed white, transforming back into light and entering the Dragon Balls. The enormous, planet sized balls spun in a slow circle before launching off in every conceivable direction.

Off by the large group of people, Universe 6's team phased back into existence, only to be greeted by everyone with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Beerus was happy to see Champa again after losing his brother. Cabba walked over to Vegeta, who was standing apart from everyone.

"Master… On behalf of my Universe, I would like to extend my gratitude and invitation to Planet Sadala of Universe 6." Cabba said, looking up warmly at his mentor. Vegeta met his eyes and gave him a small, but sincere, smile before following him to the rest of Cabba's team.

Goku grinned at this. "Looks like Vegeta's heading off right now." As he said this, Vados took her staff, tapping the ground and transporting their team (and Vegeta) back to Universe 6. One by one, the rest of the angels all teleported back to Zeno's temple, until only the Grand Priest, Zeno, Whis, Beerus, Universe 7's Kais, and their team remained. The Grand Priest called for attention.

"I will now return with Lord Zeno to the temple. I offer a final congratulations to your Universe. Farewell." He waved his hand in an arc, and the three beings were gone.

Whis materialised his staff, peering into the orb atop of it. "Oh, it appears that a few of your friends have gathered to welcome you home. Come, everyone grab hold."

Goku walked over, placing his hand lightly on Whis' shoulder. Then he felt Tien and Master Roshi hold onto him. Whis tapped his staff once, and they were launched into the white dimension that Angels used to travel.

It took about 25 minutes total to get back to Earth.

"Looks like it's our stop!" Gohan called out, pointing down, where Capsule Corp. was just barely visible through the light of Whis' teleportation technique. Whis brought them in for an admittedly rough landing, destroying half of the lawn in the process. The team climbed out of the crater.

"MY LAWN!" Bulma's screech echoed clearly across the clearing.

"Oh no." Android 18 maneuvered herself behind Krillin, acting nonchalant.

Everyone greeted each other, smiling and laughing, making conversation. Goku and Krillin were about to walk over and join them, when he heard Whis.

"Goku, may I speak with you?" Whis asked him, a serious look on his face. Goku and Krillin turned to follow him to a secluded area by one of Bulma's topiaries.

"What's up, Whis?" Goku asked.

"Goku, have you not noticed yet?" Whis questioned.

"Noticed what?"

Krillin sighed. "Goku, you're still in Ultra Instinct."

Goku just stared at him. "I can't be. I let go of my ki right after I knocked off Jiren."

"Well, your unnerving silver eyes and white hair tell us otherwise." Krillin said.

"Why didn't anyone mention it to me? I feel completely normal!" Goku said defensively.

Whis looked at his quizzically. "You should be able to easily drop out of the transformation. Can you gather your ki?"

Goku raised his hand, easily gathering a glowing ball of silvery blue ki right above his palm. "I don't feel any difference from normal."

"Maybe it affects mortals differently?" Krillin offered.

"That seems like a reasonable explanation. Goku, perhaps your body is accepting this as a biological change, instead of a change in power. Your body's nerve reactions might've been permanently altered to react on their own, while leaving your ki intact, though with a boost." Whis explained. "There is one way to test it. Krillin, can you attack him?"

"Uhh… I guess." Krillin cringed. "Hey, Goku, buddy. If you really are using Ultra Instinct, try not to hit me too hard if your body attacks me." He settled into the turtle school stance, sizing up his 'opponent', before rocketing forward and launching into a rapid-fire barrage of punches and kicks.

Goku saw the punches coming, and felt his body twist between each individual punch, every one hitting empty air. He sensed a high kick coming in hard, and his arm raised to block it. His body retaliated, decking Krillin square in the chest with thirty-eight invisible punches. They were so fast, Krillin didn't realize he had been hit until the shockwave passed through his body. Krillin felt his ribs shatter… He went flying, spitting blood when he collided with (read: decimated) one of the garages.

"Oh, damn." He heard Tien say through the fog in his head. He saw Goku's mortified face through a bloody haze before he passed out.


	2. Goodbyes

Chapter Two – Goodbyes

Krillin awoke with a start. He could just barely taste the remnants of a Sensu.

"Ugh… What happened?" He mumbled. He was laying on the grass outside of Capsule Corp., surrounded by his friends. Tien spoke up.

"Well… Goku punched you into Bulma's garage. After you attacked him. We had to crush a Sensu for you- you were in pretty bad shape. Most of your ribs were in pieces." Tien held out his hand, and Krillin took it, pulling himself up.

"Krillin! I'm glad you're okay!" Goku called to him. "I'm so sorry! I had no control over that."

Krillin walked over to the white haired Saiyan. "Look, Goku, I know you didn't mean for that to happen, but you have _got_ to get a hang of that." Goku looked at him sheepishly.

"Even I didn't know mortals could attain this form. I would have thought a mortal body could not take the stress of the biological change." Beerus said.

Whis put his hand to his chin, a contemplative look on his face. "I wish that we had more info on Saiyan biology. Not much was documented on them when they were alive. Even the gods don't know a lot."

"Maybe… It's an exclusively Saiyan ability? You know, cause their bodies are stronger and more resilient," Gohan offered. "We could find out more if we could talk to the Saiyans on planet Vegeta. Dad, do you think you can find some of them in HFIL?"

Their conversation was abruptly cut off by King Kai's obnoxious voice echoing though their heads. _"Sorry for interrupting, but I noticed Goku's power spike. What's going on?"_ A few people jumped in surprise.

"Oh, hey King Kai!" Goku perked up. "I got a new form, Ultra Instinct, during the Tournament, and I'm stuck in it. I'm having trouble controlling my reflexes. I attacked Krillin by mistake."

King Kai gasped. _"You mean… The form only gods are supposed to be able to attain?"_

Goku nodded, even though King Kai couldn't see it. "Whis says it might be affecting me differently because I'm mortal, or even because I'm a Saiyan. We think that it has something to do with Saiyan biology. Do you know if I can talk to any of the dead Saiyans from Planet Vegeta?"

King Kai hummed. _"No, I don't think so, Goku. Any of them that would know about something like this have already had their souls cleansed and reincarnated."_

Goku's grin faded a little. "Are you sure? King Kai, I'm really worried I'll end up hurting my friends by mistake…"

He trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"Goku! You can use the time machine!" Bulma, previously quiet, interjected. "It's got a full charge. It's enough for a round trip. You can figure this all out."

"You kept that thing?!" Beerus growled. "I ordered you to destroy that, woman!"

Whis held up a hand, stopping Bulma from yelling at Beerus. "Before we all get worked up, I believe that this actually may be beneficial to Goku. For one, he knows nearly nothing about his Saiyan heritage, nor does he know much about any of his Super Saiyan transformations. His lack of knowledge in these areas may be dangerous. Perhaps his ancestors may know more about this. I do know that there are records of an ancient Saiyan legend, a Super Saiyan God. If they knew about god ki, then it is reasonable to think that they might know more about what is happening to his body."

Beerus grumbled. "You make a fair point, Whis. Very well, I suppose he can go."

Goku was about to say something, but Beerus interrupted. "On ONE condition. You must hide your identity to avoid altering the timeline and creating a branch in time. Chronoa would have my ass if she knew I was allowing this." He mumbled the last bit to himself.

Later on, Goku was preparing to depart from his time. Bulma had given him the capsule for the time machine, and Raditz' old scouter (so he could blend in). Whis approached him, brandishing his staff.

"Goku, I have a parting gift for you." A pale blue light appeared before Goku, before materialising into a pile of clothes. "It's your disguise."

Goku took the clothes from the air, a surprised look on his face. "Hey, thank you, Whis!" He unfolded the articles one by one. In the pile, there was old Saiyan armor with navy, white, and dark grey parts. It had shoulder straps and hip guards. There was also a dark grey spandex undershirt, navy blue gi pants, orange wristbands, and white boots similar to Vegeta's, with grey tips instead of yellow. Additionally, Whis had created a dark brown hooded cloak with the angel's signature on the clasp. On the very top of this pile, resting face up, was a black full-face mask with white slits for eyes and a radial grey design over the right eye.

"Oh, wow! I'll blend right in! Thanks, Whis. I owe you one!" Goku exclaimed.

"One more thing, Goku. To fully hide your identity, you're going to need your tail." Whis said.

Goku sighed. "I won't be able to get it back; the Dragon Balls are inactive for another few months. When Kami removed it, I think he said it was permanent."

Whis smiled. "It was only permanent because adult Saiyans can't regrow their tails naturally. You don't need the Dragon Balls, I am fully capable of bringing it back. I mean, if I can birth Bulma and Vegeta's daughter without the mess, I can regrow a tail."

"Oh great!" Goku grinned. "So, how do we do this?"

Whis didn't answer, he just raised his staff, and with a bright flash of light, Goku felt a prickling, sore sensation at the base of his spine. He turned his head to look over his shoulder. He was surprised to see, one by one, vertebrae appeared from his back until there was a chain the length of a tail. Muscle and flesh wrapped themselves around the bones, weaving themselves out of thin air. White and brown mottled fur grew in even patches over the new skin, and the new tailbones finally settled with a satisfying _pop_ into place. Goku jumped at the sudden jolt of new sensation from his tail. He laughed.

"It's been so long since I've felt that!" He gave the new appendage an experimental wiggle. "It feels perfect. Thank you, Whis." He met the angel's eyes with a sincere smile.

"You're welcome." Whis lowered his staff. "When you get back, you owe me a meal I've never tried."

"You got it!" Goku said. "I'd better get going." He quickly rejoined his group of friends to say a few goodbyes. Chi-Chi handed him a rucksack filled with capsules of food.

"Be safe, Goku." She leaned up and pecked him on the cheek. "Oh! I almost forgot. Take this with you." She handed him his old Power Pole in its sheath. He gave her a hug, then tied it securely over one shoulder.

Bulma spoke up next. "I simplified the time machine's controls to make it easy to use, yet accurate in the time and place you want to arrive. I also expanded the cockpit a bit for extra breathing room. We all know how tight it was in there."

Beerus commented, "Remember, Goku, it's very important that you never show your face, even your hair. Any disturbance could alter the timeline. Please refrain from combat as well. We don't need anyone getting hurt, or worse."

"Aw, no fighting? This is gonna be so _boring_." Goku groaned. "I'll make sure nobody sees my face, though, Lord Beerus."

Goku pressed the button on the time machine capsule. He threw it to an open patch of grass, and it released a "BOM" sound and a large cloud of smoke. When the smoke cleared, the updated time machine stood tall, with its new additions making it a bit wider than before.

After saying his goodbyes, Goku jumped up into to cockpit of the machine, throwing his stuff in the back and taking a seat in the pilot's chair. The controls were labelled rather simply, and upon consultation from King Kai, Bulma had entered the coordinates and time in which Planet Vegeta existed. Goku pulled the lever to close the dome, feeling it lock in place. He sat back, pulling the seatbelt over his shoulder and securing it by his right hip. Then, when he was ready, (not that he had to do much) he pushed the 'Engine Start' button, and the machine's rotor around the cockpit whirred to life. He turned the key to start the warp sequence.

The machine ascended slightly into the air, before breaking through the wall of time and descending into the warp tunnel with a flash of light.


	3. Arrival

Chapter Three- Arrival

He didn't really know how long he had been floating in the stream of time, nor did he care very much. In the flow of time, nothing seemed urgent enough to bother paying attention to it. The Earth-raised Saiyan just sat back in the pilot's chair, watching the amalgamation of colours and shapes slide endlessly by.

His lack of a train of thought was interrupted by a shrill beeping. He casually leaned forward, checking the console panel. His eyes widened at the display. In big, bold orange lettering, was displayed the words:

"CRITICAL SYSTEM ERROR."

Immediately after he read those words, the gentle hum of the engine shuddered before cutting out completely. The orange-clad warrior felt the time machine falter in it's flight, before unceremoniously dropping abruptly. He gave a sharp yell as the space around the machine shifted to an unsettling, endlessly deep black. He instantly knew his eyes were simply not meant to process the vastness of this new dimension. It hurt to look at. Shutting his eyes and breathing heavily, the white haired Saiyan reached out and felt around the control panel for the little 'System Reset' button Bulma had showed him in his impromptu tour of the controls. With one hand on the armrest, the other hand met the little glass box that encased the button. Quickly, he smashed it, ignoring the slight sting of the shards cutting his hand. The man then clumsily pushed the button.

The cracked an eye open, just enough to see the controls. All of the lights on it shut off with a buzzing noise. Then, with a sound similar to a computer booting up, the machine's rotors whirred to life and the lights came back on, just in time to re-stabilize the dropping sensation.

The machine dematerialised in a blinding flash from the dark place, leaving a trail of light energy in its wake.

Goku cautiously opened his eyes one at a time, sitting up from his off-kilter position in his seat and examining the broken section on the control panel. He had apparently smashed the glass and button a bit too hard. The exposed wires underneath were fizzing and sparking dangerously, and a microchip or two were broken on the steel floor. There was broken glass strewn all over the place.

Making a noise of dismay, Goku picked up the broken pieces, throwing them in the time machine's equivalent of a glove box before attempting to clean up the mess he made. He grabbed each side of the warped metal, easily bending it back into place and tucking the sparking wires back inside. He seriously hoped-

He paused. The time machine wasn't making any noise, and he didn't feel any movement? He looked up and out the domed glass window, and was surprised to see a barren, sandy landscape with sparse vegetation, patches of dirt, and puddles of mud.

Goku stood up, leaning over the dash to peer outside. It looked like there wasn't any wildlife, plant or animal. He huffed, walking around behind his chair. He bent down and gathered up the pile of clothes Whis had given him.

First, he untied his belt, and pulled both of his gi tops over his head. Then, he stretched his new grey spandex undershirt over his torso. He took off his wristbands and boots next. He shimmied out of his pants before drawing up his new blue gi pants and tying them up with an orange sash. He slipped into his new white boots.

"Oh, hey, these are comfy." He remarked, wiggling his toes experimentally. Next, Goku put on soft orange wristbands, identical to his old ones. He grabbed the armor chestplate, giving it a stretch to break it in before he pulled it down over his head. He tapped the blue pectoral piece to see how it held up under his new strength. Surprisingly, it held up well.

Goku lifted his brown cloak into the air, sweeping it over his shoulders and pinning it in place with a white brooch signed by Whis. The signature, a simple swirl, would be meaningless to anyone looking at it except a deity or an angel (or one of their students) so Goku didn't have to worry about _that_. He tugged the large hood over his head, checking his reflection in the glass dome to make sure it covered his snow coloured hair.

He wrapped up his old clothes with the old sash and dropped the bundle at the bottom of his rucksack. He also tossed in the box of capsules Bulma gave him. They were filled mostly with food (of course), but one capsule had a motorbike, and another had a single-seater airplane. He also tucked a bag of sensu beans into a pocket inside his armor. Slinging the bag and his Power Pole over his shoulder, the earth-raised Saiyan shuffled around the pilot's chair back to the front of the time machine and pressed the blue button, opening the dome. It creaked on it's way up.

Just as Goku was about to jump down from the cockpit he remembered something. He leaned back, wrapping his new tail through the mask/scouter combo laying beside the chair. He lifted it up, grabbing it and tying the string behind his neck, settling the mask just above his forehead.

"Alright! I think I'm ready!" Goku grinned, and then vaulted himself over the edge of the dash, landing on the dry grass with a soft 'tmp!' He turned and quickly capsulized the time machine. It disappeared in a cloud of white smoke. He tucked it into his bag.

Goku closed his eyes, sensing around the world for any large groups of energy, or large power levels in general.

"Oh, there's some!" He sensed what felt like a large town of higher than normal energies. "I should probably find someone strong, they might know more about Super Saiyans." There were a few larger powers interspersed within the smaller ones, so he decided to head that way. Gathering his ki, the warrior took off into the air, forgoing Instant Transmission with the fear of startling someone. The town felt like it was a ways off, so Goku took his time, all the while slowly trying to reign in his now vast power to a reasonable level (for this planet, anyway).

By the time he got his power down to an (admittedly cramped-feeling) level, he could just see a cluster of buildings on the red horizon. Drawing closer, he could see that the streets were packed with male and female Saiyans and other aliens. As he descended, he pulled his black and green mask over his face and his red scouter over his ear. He touched down gently, and a few people turned to regard him curiously.


	4. Exploration

Chapter 4 – Exploration

Goku touched down gently in the middle of a dirt road. It was crowded with a majority of Saiyans, interspersed with other races. He took a moment to look around, sensing out the people that surrounded him. Most of the Saiyans were staring at him curiously. The Earth-raised Saiyan looked back at them, feeling that they were mostly low-class warriors.

Remembering his purpose for being there, he clicked on his scouter to keep up appearances. Numbers flashed on the screen, thankfully in a language he could read. Scanning them quickly, he discerned that no-one had a power level over 2000.

Goku started walking through the streets, and as he did, people sort of parted in front of him, giving him nervous glances. _'I wonder why they look scared.'_ Goku thought to himself. He approached one man with vertically spiked brown hair and blue eyes. He was a Saiyan, despite the initial appearance of the opposite.

"Excuse me, mister?" Goku paused in surprise; His mask had a voice distorter. His voice was deep, as if he had been gargling gravel. He laughed inwardly.

"Huh- Oh! Good evening sir, can I help you?" The man stuttered nervously in a whisper, shaking slightly. Goku stepped a bit closer as to hear him better.

"Would you mind telling me where your leaders are?"

The Saiyan man's face morphed into one of uncertain anger. "Why would I tell _you_ that?" He took a deep breath, cupping his hand around his mouth and calling out loudly.

"GUARDS! Enemy in our territory!"

Goku stepped back in surprise. "Wha-?"

"Now you won't be able to hurt us any more! You and your people will be stopped!" The man shouted at him. Goku questioned him.

"What do you mean? I just got to this planet!" He was cut off as five armored guards wearing helmets came rushing around the corner, surrounding him and cutting him off from escape. Goku looked up, preparing to fly away from them, only to find there were two guards floating above him as well. He raised his hand to do Instant Transmission, only to stop.

"GET HIM!" The man from before shouted. One of the guards slapped an electric whip firmly around his forearm. The force behind it wasn't nearly enough to hold him back from teleporting, but he stopped in fear of hurting the helmeted person. As it was, the soldier was pulling back with all his strength to try to throw the super-powered fighter off-balance. Goku sighed quietly.

Another whip wrapped itself around his calf, and he allowed the guards to pull him off balance. Goku fell lightly to the ground. _'I'll let myself get caught for now. Maybe they'll take me to someone in charge.'_

One more heavily armored guard cautiously stepped behind him, leaning down and pulling Goku's hands into heavy cuffs. The Saiyan immediately felt the slight telling drain of Ki restrictors. He let himself fall a bit limp to sell his supposed weakening from the cuffs.

The guard called to his comrades. "Hey, help me pull this guy up, he's like dead weight." Two others rushed over. They grabbed his arms, hefting him up to his feet. Goku was pushed forward, a blaster at his head. He was lead through the winding dirt paths.

"Man, I hope we gat a raise for this." One guard commented to another.

"Yeah, catching a Saiyan from the opposing side is like, big." The other guy replied. "Maybe we'll get awards or something."

Goku dragged his feet a little, laughing openly when the men struggled to support his weight.

"Hey, scum! Pick up your feet and your pace! The council won't wait all day."

Goku started walking normally again. He looked up in awe as gigantic metal buildings came into view. They were all connected by metal patchwork walkways and multitudes of twisting metal pipes. "Uh, excuse me, but do you have anything to eat? I haven't had anything since I landed."

One soldier glared at him condescendingly. "Damn Saiyans and their appetites." He grumbled. "No, you will not be given anything until you have been judged. Even then, only if they decide to let you live. Now, be silent." He lifted a little more from under Goku's arm, and the other side did the same, until Goku was practically being dragged toward a great big glass door with ornate gold handles. A green light scanned them, beeping when a guard lifted up an ID chip. The door slid open, into to walls on either side.

' _What's the point of handles if it's automatic?'_ Goku wondered absentmindedly. As he was absorbed in his own thoughts, he found himself being chained to a post in the center of a large, circular room with metal walls and cold lighting. He was made to sit on his knees and his hands were tied uncomfortably far back. To his left stood a metal sentry, with a red laser pointed directly at his head. Behind him stood the squadron that 'captured' him.

Directly in front of the chained fighter stood a semicircular wooden desk, and behind it sat eight old aliens, all wizened and most with long, grey beards. In the middle of them, in a carved wooden chair sat what looked like the head of the council. He was a wrinkly, grey elephantine being with a short trunk and small ears. His beard was braided with glass beads, and he wore blue robes under a black chestplate. He sat with an imposing air of authority. Goku met his gaze evenly behind his mask.

The being spoke in a rough voice, "Soldier, identify your rank, power level, and name."

Goku replied, "First of all, I'm not a soldier." One of the guards batted his shoulder with a blaster.

"Speak clearly!"

The elephant alien scrutinized Goku, before turning his attention to the guard who hit Goku. "Remove his mask, if you would. The facial recognition system should identify him."

Goku's eyes widened, and he moved to duck out of the way of the guard's hands, but he was held back by another guard. Gloved fingers pulled at the edges of his disguise, lifting it up and snapping the strings holding the black mask in place. The other guard pulled down his hood.

"What the hell?" One of the council members exclaimed.

Goku's silver eyes and white hair were on full display. The guards seemed baffled, and the councilmen more so. "I thought you said he was a Saiyan!" accused the elephant alien.

Goku interrupted him. "Excuse me, sir? I am a Saiyan. See? I have a tail." Goku proved this by wiggling his tail in the air behind him. The councilman next to the elephant called him out.

"It's impossible. Never in time has a Saiyan had genetics as _outlandish_ as having white hair. And what's up with his eyes?"

"Wait," the elephant councilman said. "Guards, councilmen, if you would, please leave the room."

"Sir, he could be dangerous! There's no way we'd leave you alone with him!" The head guard shouted defiantly.

"I have a feeling I'll be alright." He said, meeting Goku's silver eyes.

The other people in the room obeyed his request, shuffling out an annex door one at a time. When the door finally slammed shut, the elephant sat analysing Goku for some time. The Saiyan squirmed under his scrutiny. "Uh, sir?"

"Oh, yes?" the man replied, shifting in his seat.

"Would it be okay if I got out of these cuffs? They're kinda uncomfortable." Goku requested sheepishly.

"Very well, let me summon a guard with the key."

"There's no need for that." Goku flexed his arms, sending a pulse of ki down to his wrists. The cuffs shattered instantly, sending smoking pieces flying and bouncing on the floor.

"T-those cuffs were meant to hold high-level criminals with a max level of 15,000!" The elephant stuttered. "Just how powerful are you?"

Goku shrugged. "I dunno. I haven't been scanned in nearly 20 years, but the last time I think the Ginyu guy said 180,000 before his scouter blew up. I don't think I had topped out before it broke either." Goku screwed up his brow. "I got a huge boost after that too, and the guy I was fighting said his power had been marked down at 1,000,000, and I was fighting him after he transformed out of that form. So, I really have no idea." Goku deliberately left out that _he_ had transformed as well.

The elephantine being stared at his wide eyed and slack-jawed. "I've only heard of a few people having a level that high before! Wait, if you're not a soldier, who are you?"

"Can I trust you, that you won't tell anyone?"

The man chuckled. "That depends on what your answer is. Also, you have to let me scan your power with our high-tech scanner."

"What? Why?" Goku queried, slightly surprised. The man grinned.

"I want to see If you'll be useful in our civil war."


End file.
